This invention relates to medical apparatus in general and in particular to medical apparatus useful in aiding medical personnel in locating and stabilizing veins and like physical body conduits when it is necessary to pierce such conduits to inject medication or other substances or to withdraw body fluids from such conduits.
The piercing of body conduits, and in particular, small veins or arteries is a sometimes difficult procedure requiring substantial skill on the part of the operator. Once the vein is located it is difficult to hold it steady while inserting a hollow needle in a specified depth into the vein. If the needle is not perfectly centered on the vein or if the needle is not perfectly pointed towards the vein, the vein will often move laterally with respect to the direction of insertion of the needle as soon as the initial pressure is applied. When this occurs it is necessary to begin the procedure over again, thus, increasing the anxiety of the patient and requiring additional time of the operator.
An additional problem associated with piercing body conduits is controlling the degree of insertion of the needle through the skin and into the body conduit or vein. It is not uncommon for the needle to be inserted to far, thereby causing the passage through the conduit to be missed. This may reduce the effectiveness of the procedure and cause soreness and attendant swelling.